Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Almaz was founded October 22, 1949, when the order of the Ministry №00896 Shipbuilding Industry of the USSR at the Leningrad shipyard №5 was established Special Design Bureau on designing long-range torpedo boats. Since 1966 it is called the Central Marine Design "Diamond" bureau.

December 6, 2016 - Boeing today issued the following statement regarding the Air Force One program:"We are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft that serve the unique requirements of the President of the United States. We look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force on subsequent phases of the program allowing us to deliver the best planes for the President at the best value for the American taxpayer."

Friday, November 25, 2016

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon speaks at the opening of the Franco-British Council in Paris.

November 17, 2016 -
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has announced Franco-British Centres of
Excellence for missile technology in Stevenage and Bolton.

Sir Michael made the
announcement, which further deepens the UK-France defence relationship, at the
Franco-British Council meeting today in Paris.

The revolutionary
Cross-Channel Centres of Excellence Strategy will allow Franco-British defence
company MBDA to develop cutting-edge technology in the UK and France while
increasing efficiency.

The creation of specialized
Centres of Excellence for missile technology will support 400 skilled jobs at
MBDA’s UK sites in Stevenage and Bolton.

Defence Secretary Sir
Michael Fallon said:

To keep Britain strong,
it’s vital we develop mutual security through innovation and co-operation. By
securing a rising defence budget, working with allies and investing in Centres
of Excellence, we can keep Britain at the cutting-edge of technology.

This Franco-British
defence co-operation ensures high-skilled jobs through innovation and will help
keep Britain safer and more secure.

Building on recent
Franco-British commitments to work more closely, the strategy seeks to extend
the boundaries of traditional interstate co-operation, to the advantage of both
countries, including by increasing UK and French military capability and
promoting competitiveness in exports.

Minister for Defence
Procurement Harriett Baldwin added:

The UK and France are
the biggest European investors in equipment, and defence projects such as these
Centres of Excellence will ensure we work effectively and innovatively with
industry to secure the very best deal for the tax payer.

The UK is investing £178
billion so that our Armed Forces have the equipment they need to keep Britain
safe.

During his visit the
Defence Secretary also praised the UK and France’s deep and enduring
partnership on operations against Daesh. The British and French militaries work
closely together daily. RAF Voyager tankers often refuel French Rafales, as
well as RAF jets. The RAF and French air force also team up to jointly strike
more difficult targets, most recently in western Iraq, where RAF Tornados
carrying Stormshadow missiles, and French aircraft successfully destroyed a
large group of Saddam Hussein era bunkers used by Daesh for weapons
manufacture. And only last week, near Mosul, an RAF Reaper crew could guide
French Rafale jets onto a Daesh mortar team, striking the terrorists and
eliminating the threat they were posing to Iraqi troops.

In a further boost to
innovation the visit comes shortly after the launch of the next phase of a £117
million joint Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) program.

The MMCM program will
develop cutting edge maritime mine warfare capability, which will keep the UK
and France at the forefront of autonomous systems technology. The development
and deployment of unmanned mine clearance vehicle will help keep our personnel
safe in challenging maritime environments.

The announcement on
Centres of Excellence came at the annual meeting of the Franco-British Council,
an organization set up in the 1970s to foster closer UK-French ties. 2016’s
conference underlined the continuing strength and progress of the Lancaster
House agreement, which is a fundament part of Britain and France’s defence
relationship.

The new guided missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), along with the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), will head to BAE Systems’ shipyard in San Diego for post-construction work. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

November 21, 2016 - BAE
Systems has received an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from
the U.S. Navy for post-construction work aboard the guided missile destroyers
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). The contract has an
initial award of $10.3 million and a maximum value of $192.7 million for work
through September 2021.

“We’re pleased with the
opportunity to help prepare the Zumwalt and Michael Monsoor for initial service
in the fleet,” said Bob Koerber, vice president and general manager of BAE
Systems San Diego Ship Repair. “We look forward to working with industry
partners to install the state-of-the-art combat systems aboard these leading-edge
combatants and to finish other hull and engineering enhancements following
their construction and delivery.”

USS Zumwalt and Michael
Monsoor are the first two ships of the Navy’s new class of surface combatants.
The ships are 610 feet long, displace about 15,700 tons, and are comprised of
steel hulls and composite structure deckhouses. The Zumwalt was commissioned in
Baltimore last month and now is enroute to its homeport in San Diego. The
Michael Monsoor is currently under construction in Bath, Maine, and will also
be homeported in San Diego.

BAE Systems will begin
work on the Zumwalt next month. Work on the Michael Monsoor will begin after
the ship is delivered to the Navy. Under the new contract, the company’s San
Diego shipyard will support the installation and completion of the ships’
combat systems and perform post-construction hull, mechanical, and electrical
enhancements. The shipyard also will support the ships’ post-shakedown
availabilities following the demonstration and certification of their combat
systems and final sea trials.

In addition to the
shipyard’s work, BAE Systems’ Weapon Systems business will work on the ships’
gun systems, which will can deliver ordnance against a wide variety of targets.
The business also will install the ships’ Mk 57 vertical launch systems, which
will provide the capability and flexibility of deploying existing and new
missiles without costly, complex reconfiguration or maintenance.

BAE Systems received a new contract to assist with the integration of U.S. Navy equipment, programs, and combat systems to enhance mission planning, research, and training. (Photo: Missile Defense Agency)

November 21, 2016 - The
U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a five-year contract worth up to $86 million
to provide management, engineering, maintenance, and IT support services for
the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) at Wallops Island, Virginia.

BAE Systems experts will
integrate various mission equipment, combat systems, and computer programs to
help NAVSEA’s Surface Combat Systems Center meet current and future operational
requirements. The high-fidelity systems are used by sailors for mission
planning, testing and evaluation, research, and training.

“We are ensuring the
interoperability of deployed systems and integrating next-generation
technologies for use in testing and exercises at sea,” said DeEtte Gray,
president of BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security sector. “This is critical
work that is supporting the Navy’s strategy to provide the fleet with the
advanced capabilities it needs in an increasingly complex maritime
environment.”

November 18, 2016 - L-3 Communications announced today
that it has been awarded a contract to deliver switchgear equipment in support
of the power distribution and protection system for the U.S. Navy’s newest
submarine, which will replace the existing Ohio-class platform. This
competitively awarded contract includes the detail design and qualification of
the switchgear, along with the delivery of select units to the first submarine.
Follow-on deliveries will extend to 2035 if the U.S. Navy builds all boats in
the current plan of record.

“This is an important contract for L-3 because it
demonstrates our ability to meet evolving naval requirements with optimal
reliability and performance,” said Michael T. Strianese, L-3’s Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer.

“Our expertise is in electrical protection and
distribution equipment that is designed for harsh and rugged environments,”
added Christine Montalvo, President of L-3 SPD Electrical Systems (L-3 SPDES),
which will complete the work. “We’ve spent two years investing in conceptual
designs and improving upon key elements, including electrical performance,
weight and reduced cost, and are excited to have won this rigorous
competition.”

L-3 SPDES is part of the Power & Propulsion Systems
sector within the Electronic Systems business segment. The division currently
manufactures switchgear and Air Circuit Breakers (ACBs) for the Virginia-class
fast attack submarine.

November 24, 2016 - Military ceremony will be held
tomorrow at 5 pm at the Naval ARC "Bolívar" Base, chaired by Mr.
Admiral Leonardo Santamaria Gaitan, Commander of the Navy, with Mr. General del
Aire (RA) Jose Javier Perez Mejia, Deputy Minister of Defense for Corporate
Social Group and GSED, and Welfare, and the naval command, will serve the
Navy's new ship Logistics Support ARC name "Gulf of Morrosquillo".

This is the fourth ship of its kind built in Colombia by
the Corporation of Science and Technology for Development of Shipbuilding,
Maritime and Fluvial - COTECMAR response to the need for the Navy to strengthen
its naval fleet units’ shallow draft that can reach inaccessible areas, to
increase state presence and to provide care to the most remote populations.

The ARC "Gulf of Morrosquillo" will become part
of the Flotilla of Surface Caribbean under operational command of the Naval
Force of the Caribbean, to develop maritime and riverine operations security
and defense missions, humanitarian assistance operations for disaster control,
military operations area control, logistical support and amphibious landing, among
others. its ability to transport vehicles and heavy machinery stands and
containers, refrigerated cargo, ro-ro cargo and liquid cargo (water and fuel).

As the first commander of the ARC "Gulf of
Morrosquillo" he was appointed Lieutenant Commander Carlos Alvarado Fabian
Carvajal, who will lead a crew of 13 people between officers and NCOs.
Godmother of the new ship is Mrs. Elisa Beltrán de Santamaría, wife of
Commander of the Navy.

The ARC "Gulf of Morrosquillo", named after one
of the most important geographical features of the Colombian Caribbean, located
between the departments of Sucre and Cordoba, with attractions like Punta
Mestizos, Cispatá Bay and Boca de Tinajones. It is the second ship with this
name in the Navy.

The ARC "Gulf of Morrosquillo" has a length (L)
of 49 meters, a beam (width) of 11 meters, a maximum speed of 9 knots, an
average draft of 1.50 meters, accommodation capacity of 15 crew, transport up
to 36 people; It has doctor's office and hospital ward to serve four people; It
can carry more than 20,000 gallons of water, 21 gallons of fuel and 240 tons on
deck. Has a ramp on the bow that allows loading and unloading of equipment and
heavy machinery in places of difficult access and a hydraulic crane with
lifting capacity up to 15 tons, so that the burden of large containers is
possible.

With the entry of the vessel ARC "Gulf of
Morrosquillo" to the naval fleet in the Caribbean, the Navy increased its
capabilities and reaffirms its commitment to safeguard human life at sea, to
exercise military control of the area, providing logistical support, lead
missions disaster management and humanitarian assistance, among others.